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REGGAE FILM FESTIVAL
The second annual REGGAE FILM FESTIVAL featuring films that have reggae music as the subject, story line or content will now be held in Jamaica from July 15-19, 2009 to focus on film as an aspect of Jamaican music culture. This was announced by Festival Director Barbara Blake Hannah who said that the new date of the REGGAE FILM FESTIVAL will allow greater time to properly showcase some of the many documentaries, feature films and music videos that have been entered in the film festival that highlights Jamaica’s unique reggae music.
The second Reggae Film Festival 2009 will follow the format of the first, screening new and old feature and documentary films that feature Jamaica’s reggae music and aspects of Jamaican culture as a central theme or soundtrack. Pemieres of several documentaries and at least two feature films will be part of the 3-day event, which will also include a Childrens Day, Film Seminar, Music Video Competition and a Retrospective screening of 'The Harder They Come'.
The 2nd Reggae Film Festival will add new features, including daytime screenings and the inauguration of a Make A Film In 24 Hours competiton. Films in the Music Video Awards competition will be screened on television, with viewers invited to phone or text their award selections. An Awards Committee will judge the films and present awards in several categories.
Entries are still being accepted for the 2009 event and films already entered are still scheduled for screening at thenew date. Entry Forms can be downloaded from the Festival Website: Jamaica Film Academy
The first Reggae Film Festival held in February 2008 featured 22 entries from local and international film makers. The well-attended event opened at Emancipation Park on February 22 and moved to the Courtleigh Auditorium for two nights of screenings. Among the films screened were Jamaican premieres of feature films “Roots Time” (Argentinia) and “Almost Heaven” (Germany), documentaries “Stepping Razor Red X: Peter Tosh” (Jamaica) and “The Legend: Rico Rodriques (Spain), “Dub Echoes” (Brazil) as well as retrospectives of Jamaican films “Countryman” by director Dickie Jobson and “KLA$H”. Film festival guests included Peter Gittins of Reggae Films UK, Hollywood producer Arthur Gorson, Generoso Fierro of Boston, USA, ‘Jungle George’ Tait of Canada and Jep Jorba of Spain, while the festival honoured Jamaican film makers Carl Bradshaw, Wayne and Dickie Jobson.
In an announcement at the end of the Reggae Film Festival 2008, Minister of Information & Culture Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange said that the impact and importance of the event signalled it was time for a new focus on Jamaican film making. She therefore inducted six film pioneers into a newly created Jamaica Film Academy to heighten awareness and drive development of the industry. The Reggae Film Festival will help raise funds for Jamaica Film Academy projects and activities.
The Reggae Film Festival 2008 will once again be co-ordinated by Barbara Blake Hannah, Special Consultant to the Minister of Information & Culture, and Peter Gittins of Reggae Films UK, an online community and marketplace for films, books and music highlighting Jamaica’s reggae culture.
The first REGGAE FILM FESTIVAL gave Jamaicans the opportunity to view some of the best of the hundreds of films made about and because of the world famous music of Jamaica, that not only reflect the wide interest in Jamaican music, but also bring tourists on vacation and income to members of the entertainment fraternity, as well as the nation.
Most of the films about Jamaica are made by reggae lovers in countries outside Jamaica and we here at home have never seen them. There are also some Jamaican films that equally have never had local TV or cinema exposure. The REGGAE FILM FESTIVAL showcases the best of these.
The REGGAE FILM FESTIVAL is a Red Carpet event that also honours stalwards of the Jamaican film industry. Entries are invited of films of any length by professionals as well as amateurs. All submissions must be on DVD and there is no entry fee.
